Sunday
At 6:05, as I approached Grace lying on her bed, she heard my joints cracking and lifted her head. At 6:15, Grace greeted Betsy in bed and then went to her perch. I went to another room to study.
Morning Play Time
At 7:05, I took Grace to the park. It was empty when we arrived, so we did a short walk first. Grace returned five minutes later and played ball. Abby stopped by for ten minutes at 7:20. Grace and Abby did little more than chase balls.
After Abby left, Grace went on a second walk. There she met Peaches. Grace raced to the park to play with her there. Although it took a while before they started, they began a running, wrestling, and roughhouse routine that went on for about twenty minutes. Despite the cold, wet weather, the two dogs enjoyed their play time together.
Home Alone
At 8:25, Grace returned home and went to the living room chair. After I put out her food, Grace ate it and returned to the chair. At 9:15, we left Grace home alone. I felt bad that I had forgotten to say, “Bye-bye” to her, but Grace was well aware of our Sunday routine.
At 12:20, we returned home to find Grace still in the chair. We greeted her warmly telling her “Good bye-bye.” Ten minutes later, Grace whined. I grabbed some of her toy puppies and placed them in nursing position. At 12:40, Grace moved down to the floor and took one of her toy puppies with her. She then went to her toy box, pulled out an empty box, and proceeded to shred it.
It had been quite a while since I’d seen the toy, but Grace pulled from her toy box the handball that she had found months ago. She really enjoyed fetching it and batting it around like a mouse. When she finished playing fetch at 1:20, Grace grabbed one of her empty boxes and shredded it. At 1:30, Grace wanted some food. I gave her a loaded Kong. She knew that wasn’t a half-cup of her special food, so she complained. I gave her the rest of the half-cup. That satisfied her.
Hopes Dashed
Grace then resumed her handball fetch game while I kicked it from the kitchen. Her ravenous appetite continued though and at 2:15, I gave her a doggie cookie and fifteen minutes later some light treats. At 2:40, Grace took Betsy out for a walk.
They returned at 3:00 to pick up a cart. They went to the office to pick up a package. When they returned, Betsy said they brought her the package, but the side of the office where the treats were kept was locked. That was very disappointing to Grace as she tried to get in that area of the office.
Munchies
When she returned, I gave her a cookie treat and told her we would get a treat the next day when they opened. When she finished her treat, Grace climbed into bed. I redirected her to the bathroom for a shower. When she finished, I gave Grace her doggie treat reward for taking a bath.
At 4:15, Betsy brought me a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. Of course, Grace was not far behind with a bad case of the munchies. Grace hopped up into the chair sitting next to me as we ate the popcorn together. Grace ate popcorn as I placed it in the palm of my hand. Her mouth is increadibly soft. As usual, when the popcorn was gone at 4:35, Grace pushed me off of the chair. I retreated to her sofa.
Sundowning
At 5:00, Grace moved down to her bed. When I put out her supper at 6:00, she ate it and then moved to the kitchen to watch the cooking action. We didn’t have any scraps from our dinner. At 6:30, I gave Grace a dental chew. When she finished, she came to me with her giraffe toy, after chewing one leg from it.
Grace was relentless in wanting to play. She fetched it over and over again. Finally at 7:35, Grace settled down to just chewing her toys. At 7:50, Grace finally reluctantly gave up and got up on the sofa. Forty minutes later, she moved down to her bed. I took Grace out at 9:00. She returned ten minutes later and went to her bed. At 11:00, Grace was still there.
Monday
At 4:00, I got up and walked by Grace. She was lying in her bed. I presume she was resting and awake. At 6:45, after the second time the alarm clock sounded, I got up. Grace greeted me in the dining room. After a few tail wags, rubs, and kisses, she moved on to greet Betsy. It was still early, so Grace brought me her small giraffe toy to play tug and fetch, which we did a few times.
Morning Fresh Air Romp
At 7:05, we went to the park. There Grace met Abby. Sadie followed closely behind. When Grace’s friends left, she played ball with me for ten minutes. Then I invited her out for a walk. I opened the gate with one gate as I attempted to latch on her leash with the other hand. I missed latching the clip to the ring. Grace bolted. She went to the Greenway. While she was running anyway, I decided to join her. She met Kiko but didn’t stop long. She never got close enough for me to grab her.
Grace ran full speed in the open fields. She found a fish head and rolled in it. While it was great fun for her to run free again, her body (I presumed) wasn’t ready for it. As we approached the Umstead Park end of the Greenway Grace ran down to the path around Lake Crabtree. Thankfully, the gate was closed because the path was too muddy. Grace ran back up. I turned and headed back toward Grace Beach and called Grace. She followed me. As we approached Grace Beach, Grace slowed down near me and allowed me to leash her. The bolt was over. We ran another lap and then returned home.
Clean Up, Relax, and Recharge
When Grace returned home at 8:50, I gave her a shower with shampoo in order to get rid of the dead fish smell. It didn’t get it all, but it helped. After Grace had her doggie treat, she went to her perch. At 9:25, Grace came into the living room and got into her bed. When I gave Grace her breakfast, she ate it and then curled up in the living room chair for her morning nap.
At 11:15, I left Grace home alone so I could go to the plumbing supplier to help pick out plumbing fixtures for the house. When I returned at 1:30, Grace was still in the chair. I prepared my food and at 2:00 gave Grace a half-cup of her duck food topped with scrambled eggs. After she finished, she came back for more. At 2:15, I gave her a dog cookie. Fifteen minutes later she was back after me for more. I gave her some light treats. That seemed to be enough. Grace ate them and went to her bed.
Cooped Up
After a thirty-minute nap, Grace got up, found a piece of cardboard in her toy box and shredded it. Ten minutes later, she came to me with her fox toy. It was time to play tug. The nasty weather outside had limited her play time. Grace was getting antsy. We played for thirty minutes.
At 3:40, I replaced the stuffing and squeaker in one of Grace’s small toy puppies. She removed it. I replaced it again. Ten minutes later after removing some stuffing but not the squeaker, Grace brought the puppy toy to play fetch. She worked on it some more and again removed the squeaker. I put the squeaker up and re-stuffed the toy. Grace then started whining. She went out on the balcony at 4:10 and returned at 4:15 wanting to play tug and fetch with the fox. Grace continued trying to entertain herself and coming to me to play tug. Finally, at 4:45, I took Grace out.
On a Mission
As we started to go get a treat at the office, I saw Josie head for the park. We turned and joined her there. Grace just played ball. After fifteen minutes, Josie and the little Pomeranian left.
As we headed to get a treat. Grace ran enthusiastically to the office. It was open this time, and Grace happily took and enjoyed her treat. After thanking the office staff for the treat, we returned to the park.
Grace played ball. Then Abby came in next. Grace really didn’t do much playing with Abby. Grace played ball. When Sadie came in about fifteen minutes later, she and Abby wrestled and ran. When they finished, they looked fairly dirty as the park was wet and muddy. After the friends left, Grace played ball with me until 5:50. She had a lot of mud on her also.
Supper and Bed
When we returned home, Grace had a shower followed by a treat. Grace then had her supper. When she finished, she came back into the kitchen. As I ate my soup and crackers, Grace had a few saltines. When I ate some cake, Grace watched me. I gave her a doggie cookie. At 7:00 Grace got up on the sofa and took a nap. Betsy messed with her for five minutes looking for spots where dogs had bitten her in play. At 7:30, Grace got up from her sofa, shook off, and came to the living room chair where I was seated. I moved to her sofa and she jumped up on the chair.
At 7:50, Grace got down from the chair, had a long drink of water and moved to look out the window into the darkness illumined by the streetlights. After a minute Grace moved to her bed and curled up there to await her last trip out for the night. At 8:55, Grace went out for the last time. When she returned at 9:05, she went to my bed.
As I ate my snack, Grace came into the dining room and watched me. When I finished, she returned to my bed. After a bath, I joined her there at 9:50.
Tuesday
At about 6:00, Grace awakened and started whimpering very softly. Fifteen minutes later, I reached down and stroked her leg. She licked my hand. After about ten minutes, Grace stretched off of the bed and went to her perch to watch out the window. When I got up at 6:45, Grace came out to meet me. I told her to go see Mommy, but Grace just stayed in the foyer, wanting to leave.
Morning Out
I checked the temperature, got dressed, and finally took her out at 6:55. Grace still had her limp. The fast running from yesterday’s bolt and her pulling run to get a treat at the office had taken a toll that still had not healed. While the limp was not pronounced, it was still noticeable.
When we arrived at the park, we were surprised to see Abby had arrived. The light rain made the already messy park event that much more muddy. Abby’s owner was not interested in bathing her again. She limited Abby’s time to just ten minutes. Grace and Abby just chased a little without mixing it up. After Grace and I played ball for a few minutes, a man walked by that enjoys playing with the dogs in the pen. He called Grace over to play fetch with him while he stood outside the fence.
Grace brought the ball to him, he threw it, and Grace retrieved it. When she put the ball down out of reach, he motioned to her to bring it closer to him. She did. Despite the fact that he addressed Grace (wearing a pink collar) as a boy, she still enjoyed the variation that he brought to the play. After ten minutes, he moved on, and Grace resumed her play with me. When she tired of playing ball, I invited Grace to take a walk. As usual, she went to the door, I leashed her, and we were on our way.
Grace wanted to go up the steep hill with monkey grass, but that was too much for me on such a messy day. She then led me down toward the Greenway. On the way, Grace greeted her friends Olivia and Rascal. She continued down. We walked past Grace Beach, and up the hill. There was a flock of white sea gulls just ahead. Grace found some bird droppings in the grass and rolled in them. It was then I noticed she still had some dead fish smell on her from the day before. We to the end of the Greenway and proceeded up Winstead before returning to the apartment area.
Recharging
At 8:55, when we came home, Grace had a shower with soap. The soapy shower from the previous day failed to remove all of the dead fish smell from her head. When we finished, Grace had a doggie treat followed by breakfast. After breakfast, Grace curled up in the living room chair for a nap. At 9:40, I went to the kitchen and dished out a snack. Grace followed. I gave her some light treats. When she finished, she went to her perch. At 9:55, Grace joined me back in the living room, curled up in her bed, and went to sleep.
At 12:15, I went to the kitchen and made my meal. Grace got up and began shredding an empty cardboard container from her toy box. When I finished making scrambled eggs, I gave Grace a half-cup of duck food topped off with a portion of eggs. After Grace polished that off, she came back for more. I gave her a half of a graham cracker followed by a dental chew.
Restless
Grace was restless at that point. She pulled various items from her toy box. She finally selected a tennis ball and brought it to me to play fetch. Grace continued to be beside herself, not knowing what to do with herself. Finally, she groaned and went to her office perch.
At 1:40, Grace came to the living room, looked at me, and whined softly. She went to the foyer and lay down. I told her I would take her running but to wait. Grace continued to whine softly. At 1:45, she got up and sat facing me and whined softly halfway between the foyer and my chair. I continued to tell her to wait. I finally finished enough downloading to take her.
Afternoon Run
At 1:50, we went out for a run. The weather had just started to clear. By the time we finished, the sky was blue. We did our two laps without too much trouble. Grace did grab the leash in her mouth and led me up the hill that exits the complex. It looks like Grace is responding better to the danger command as she moved off of the road both times I used it.
As we were finishing the last lap, Grace decided to catch and pass a runner and then chase a soaring hawk. The hawk chase had her pulling pretty hard. I had to call her down a few times in order to limit the pulling and hopefully protect her from further injury.
Afternoon Ride and Snack
At 2:30, when we returned home, Grace went to the balcony, and I took a shower. When I finished at 2:55, Grace was waiting at the door. I let her in, and she curled up on the chair. At 3:10, I asked Grace if she wanted to go for a ride. She came, and we went to the grocery store.
When we returned at 3:50, I gave Grace a nearly empty ice cream container to finish followed by a dental chew. As I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Grace watched me intently. I loaded her small Kong with her regular food capped with peanut butter. That satisfied her. When she finished, she went to her perch to watch for friends.
Park Play and Supper
At 5:00, I took Grace to the park. Grace played ball with me and then with a couple outside the fence for fifteen minutes. Then Sadie came in. Grace and Sadie mixed it up for about ten minutes. Sadie left first. Then Zeke left. Grace returned home at 5:50.
Grace had a quick shower followed by a doggie treat and then her supper. While I ate my soup, I gave six soda crackers and a few small pieces of cornbread to her. When I finished, I had a piece of cake and gave Grace a doggie cookie.
Second Supper and Bed
At 6:30, when Betsy came home, I went down to get the groceries. While I was gone, Betsy gave Grace another full cup of her food for supper. Grace went out on the balcony to watch me. When I finished at 6:40, Grace came inside and sacked out on the chair. Ten minutes later she moved down to her bed. There was a fair amount of noise in the hall today. That prompted Grace to bark a few times while she was inside.
At 8:55, Grace went out for the last time. When she returned home five minutes later, she curled up in her bed. At 9:45, when I went to bed, Grace was stretched out on her sofa.
Wednesday
Betsy’s alarm clock sounded at around 6:20. I stayed in bed. Betsy got up about twenty minutes later. That prompted Grace to come in and greet me by propping her front feet up against the side of the bed. Although I invited her, she didn’t get up on the bed. Instead, she went to her perch to watch out the window. Her breath had steamed up the window, but the area in her line of vision was clear. I suppose she either licked or nosed it clean.
Morning at the Park
It was cold outside, so it took longer for me to get dressed. Grace came into the foyer and waited patiently. We stopped by the car long enough for me to start it on and turn on the defrosters. Grace waited outside. When we arrived at the park, Reggie and Abby had just entered. Grace opened the unlatched gate and ran in excitedly to join the fun. Grace grabbed a ball and joined in the chase.
The frozen ground was easier to deal with than the mud of the last few days. The cold air seemed to invigorate the dogs and the frozen ground gave them a more solid surface for traction. After ten minutes, Sadie came in. That raised the intensity another notch or two. Grace never dropped the ball but did run with the other dogs. At 7:30, the other dogs left. After Grace played ball for five minutes, we went for a walk.
Running Free
Grace made her way to the courtyard behind the main building. This time I dropped the leash but left it on her. Grace flew through the bushes darting around and enjoying running free. At one point, she picked up the end of the leash in her mouth and ran with it. After a few minutes, Grace headed out, and I took back the leash. In retrospect wonder how safe that was though. At the speed she was going, if the leash had snagged on something solid, it could have been quite a tug on her neck. I think I need to switch to using the harness.
Grace led me down to the lower meadow across from Grace Beach. There we played fetch with the old soccer ball for a few minutes. The crisp, frost-covered turf seemed to make it more fun. Then the call of the wild was too strong. Grace ran fast and free across the field and up the hill closest to the apartments. Of course, she found a nice dead fish to roll in. It’s always a bit tense when she runs off. At times I lost visual contact with her for five or ten minutes. I would then begin to whistle and call her. She always came back.
Finally, she headed for the lake, wadded in, and took a drink. When she came out, she let me leash her. We ran and walked the rest of the way back to the apartment and returned at 8:30.
Clean-Up and Rest
Grace took another shampoo shower to remove the dead fish smell. She followed that up with a doggie treat. She then went to her bed. There she bathed herself for about twenty minutes before taking a nap.
At 11:00, Grace got up and went to the balcony lounge chair. The cool, clear sky brought inviting sunshine to warm her there. Twenty minutes later, Grace came in and returned to her bed. After five minutes, she started whining and messing with her giraffe toy. I brought her two of her toy puppies. That helped a little. At 11:30, she went to her toy box, looked around and returned to her bed. She seemed bored — still whining occasionally.
At 11:50, I got up and went to another room. Grace followed me. When I returned to the sofa, Grace lay under the dining room table in a position where she could watch my every move. At 12:30, Grace got up and moved to the balcony. After five minutes, she returned and lay on the living room chair. At 2:05 Betsy called, and Grace went to her perch.
Run and Chase
At 2:40, we left for our run. At the end of the first lap, Grace latched on to the pace of a runner going about as fast as I could go. We caught him just as we made the turn off of the Greenway.
On the second lap, she followed a walker near the start of the Greenway. We then did a stop and go routine until we passed Grace Beach. At that point she, latched onto some cyclists. I couldn’t keep up, but that at least broke her free from the walker’s pace. I’m going to mark this as a milestone. The milestone is my realization that Grace, as a Borador, tends to want to follow a stranger rather than stay with me.
Short Break Followed by Park Play
At 3:25, Grace returned home and went to the balcony lounge chair. At 3:45, Grace went out on the balcony to watch for friends. At 4:15, she spotted Sadie and Zeke in the park and whined. We raced down to play. They ran and wrestled some.
Then Reggie joined the fun. As Betsy walked up at 5:30, we went down to greet her. With her tail wagging with all her might, she jumped up and tried to kiss her.
Strange Sight
As we walked around the mailboxes, Grace met a Labradoodle with a poodle haircut. Grace freaked out as she approached the dog. I think I understand this better now. Before, she reacted this way with a black Poodle with an even more-defined Poodle cut. I’m thinking her reaction relates to the unnatural haircut. I’ll keep this theory in mind for the future.
As Grace neared the dog, she assumed a very submissive position, rolled on her side, and wagged her tail to indicate she was not a threat. The Labradoodle responded in a way to indicate it was not threatened. After their greeting, we moved on.
Office Treat
At 5:30, we returned home but turned around and went to the office to get a “treat” and make a payment to correct a billing error. When we entered the office, Grace received her treat.
She sat next to me as we sorted out the billing error. On the way out, Grace tried for another treat, but I told her, “No.” When she returned home, Grace went to the balcony. She barked some but restrained herself. At 6:15, she came inside and lay under the dining room table.
Tense Ending
Ten minutes later, as I ate my supper, I shared with Grace some cornbread and about six saltines as she sat patiently next me. When Betsy turned on the vacuum cleaner, Grace got up on her perch. As Betsy moved around the house, so did Grace. At 6:45, she went under the dining room table.
At 7:30, the atmosphere in the living room became emotionally charged. Grace retreated to her perch. Unfortunately, then the tension moved in there. Grace tried to ignore it. I consoled her, but it definitely bothered her.
At 8:50, I took her outside for the last time. When we returned five minutes later, Grace went to her bed.
Thursday
When I got up at 6:40, Grace was on her perch looking outside. She was cordial with me but still shook up from the incident the previous night. She got down and wanted to go immediately. I told her to wait. She went to the foyer and whimpered occasionally.
Play and Run
Grace left at 6:55. We stopped by the car to turn it on and let it warm up. Abby had just entered the park. Grace and Abby greeted excitedly, but Grace grabbed one ball and Abby another. The play reverted to playing fetch until Sadie came. That sparked the normal routine with Sadie and Abby wrestling for most of the time and then Abby taking a ball with Grace and Sadie chasing and wrestling. The party ended at 7:30.
Grace went out of the park quickly. She went down to the Greenway. We ran through the field and the reverse direction to the end of the Greenway, up Winstead, past Borador Park, and around our apartment to return to the Greenway. There Grace tried to pick up the pace and began pulling the leash. I pulled back to try to give her the message to slow down. After about ten times, she reduced to pulling to a small amount.
Recharging and Relaxing
When Grace returned home at 8:15, she went out on the balcony, and I took a shower. While it was around freezing outside, the sun shone brightly. When I finished my shower, Grace was standing at the door to come in.
I let her in, and she jumped up on the chair. She then had breakfast and returned to her chair. At 9:15, Grace went outside on the lounge chair. She came inside to her bed at 11:45.
I went to the kitchen at 12:10 and inadvertently rustled the bag of Grace’s duck food. That was enough to get Grace to walk into the kitchen. I left the kitchen. Grace circled and stretched out on the dining room floor to await her lunch. At 12:45, Grace had her duck food topped with scrambled eggs. When she finished, she sat at the balcony door. Grace went out on the balcony lounge chair at 12:55. At 1:15 Grace came in and curled up in her bed.
Go for Ride
At 1:30, I asked Grace if she wanted to go for a ride. She got up from her bed and joined me in the foyer. We went to the car and Grace hopped into the passenger seat. Our first stop was Office Depot. After I returned an item, leaving Grace in the car, Grace went for a short walk. She followed her nose to the nearest restaurant but found nothing except a half-empty Goodberry’s container. Grace tried it but didn’t like it. That’s very unusual.
We returned to the car, and Grace hopped back into the passenger seat. Our next stop was Walmart. After fifteen minutes, I returned to find Grace sitting patiently in the passenger seat. From there, we went to Whole Foods for a quick stop and then to the bank drive in. When the mutiple transactions were completed, they gave Grace a treat. For good measure, Grace shredded the envelope that held her treat.
I Want to Go!
When we returned home at 3:30, I made a sandwich. Grace came into the kitchen to say that she wanted a little something. I gave her a Kong with duck and peanut butter. When she finished, she went out on the balcony.
She returned inside and went to her bed at 4:15. Twenty minutes later, Grace became impatient and wanted me to take her back out to the park. I told her to wait. She went into the dining room.
Fun, Supper, and Alone
At 4:50, I took her to the park. Grace played ball. She was joined after a while by Abby and then by Reggie. They wrestled as Grace chomped the ball.
When they left, Grace continued to play ball until we returned home at 6:00. At 6:15, Grace had her supper and then as she saw me getting dressed, went to foyer at 6:30. I told her we were going bye-bye. Grace held her head down, sniffed the carpet, and got into her bed.
Ready for Bed
When we returned home at 8:15, Grace was lying on her sofa. I told her “Good bye-bye” and gave her a one-inch square of cheesecake. She though it was ice cream and tried to lick it, but she got the idea and enjoyed it. At 8:35, Grace went on the balcony and returned to her bed five minutes later.
At 8:50, I got up to take Grace out. She came to the foyer as I was getting ready. Then I couldn’t find my keys. After a five minutes I found them and went down. I stopped at both cars. Grace knew enough not to assume she was getting in. When we completed our short rounds we returned at 9:10, and Grace got into her bed.
Friday
At 6:10, Betsy heard Grace making some soft sounds. She called her. Grace came into the bedroom and greeted us but stayed on the floor. I got up. Grace was ready to go. I told her to wait. She played tug and fetch of her fox toy with me. At 6:45, I dressed, and we ventured out into the frosty, 26-degree morning.
Frosty Park
Our first stop was the car to turn it on and defrost the windows. When we arrived at the park, it was just us and the frost-covered wood chips. Grace founds some rocks to bat around playfully for about ten minutes. Then, I showed her the ball that I had brought. Grace played ball for a few minutes. Then I invited Grace to go for a walk.
Grace went straight to the door. We did a short walk to take care of business and then returned. Grace played ball until 8:15. We had the park to ourselves the whole time.
Deer Chase
When we left, Grace led me down toward Grace Beach. Before we made it to the Greenway, Grace flushed out two deer about ten feet away on the other side of the fence. Grace tugged and ran excitedly after them. When we started out in the morning and to this point, her limp was gone. I suspect this pulling was the thing that aggravated it this time. It’s very distressing to me dealing with this. I hate using any negative reinforcement with Grace, but I may have to resort to using a pinch collar to keep her from hurting herself.
Grace went to the meadow and picked up the deer scent. At one point she zigzagged about five feet while moving forward as if she was tracking the scent of two running side-by-side. Grace followed the fence to the end of the Greenway and found a gap below it to get to the other side. She went through, but I resisted and told her to come back.
Run, Rest, and Recovery
As we headed back to the apartment on the Greenway, Grace was ready for her run. We did two laps and returned at 8:45. When we finished, Grace was limping badly. Grace went straight to the balcony. At 9:15, she came in and sacked out on the living room chair for her morning nap.
At 10:30, I put out her breakfast. Grace just lay there and looked at me. Then, she stretched off of the chair, went to her dish, and polished off her food. When she finished, she lay on the carpet, just outside the sun, let out a soft whine, washed herself, got up and went out on the balcony. Grace enjoyed lying on the balcony, watching below, and barking occasionally when a dog passed her line of sight.
At 12:45, as Grace heard me preparing food in the kitchen, she came in from the balcony and got up on the chair. She waited there until I brought her duck topped off with eggs at 1:05. She got down, ate it, took a long drink of water, did a cat-like stretch, and made the longest, loudest burp I had heard from her. It sounded like a human burp. I’ll log this as a milestone of sorts. She then went back out on the balcony to enjoy the sunny, 50-degree afternoon.
At 2:00, Grace came inside and got into the chair. Before long she was snoozing and snoring softly in her blissful dreamland. At 3:15, Grace stretched off of her chair, rolled on her back on the carpet and squirmed around to scratch it. She then jumped up on her sofa and propped her chest on the armrest to watch out the window from there.
At 3:35, there was a knock on the door at an apartment down the hall. Grace perked up her head and turned her body to face away from the window and toward the foyer. She then settled in for more napping.
Afternoon Play Time
At 3:50, Grace got down, sat in front of me, and looked me straight in the eye. She wanted me to take her outside, but I was not ready for that yet. She lay on her side at my feet as she let out a short whine. She did the same at 4:00. I told her to wait. She went to the foyer, lay down, and let out another short whine.
Then, she decided to work on shredding one of her partially shredded cardboard boxes. At 4:30, I saw Abby, Zeke, and Beckham in the park. By the time we got there, Abby was gone. Grace enjoyed playing ball until 5:35, when Betsy returned home. Grace came back with me and went directly to the balcony.
Disappointment and Despair
At 5:45, we ran to the office to try to beat the closing and get Grace a treat. It turned out the office was closed all afternoon! When we came back I gave Grace her supper. Then Grace was ready to play. She brought her giraffe toy for tug and fetch and played shortstop with a ball. When I ate my soup, she sat next to me and enjoyed about six saltines. As Betsy ate her chicken, Grace sat next to her. Betsy gave her a few scraps.
Since Grace was shut out from her treat at the office, I gave her a dog cookie at 7:45. Grace curled up in the living room chair. Then the emotional atmosphere again became toxic. Grace tried to stay curled up while the storm raged. I tried leaving the room, but the storm clouds just followed me. When I took Grace at 9:00, peace was restored. We took out the trash and returned at 9:15. Grace got into her bed.
Saturday
At 7:00, I heard a faint whine, opened my eyes and saw a cute little black nose just inches from my face. I greeted the sweet puppy. Grace was ready to go. I quickly dressed and took her out.
Morning Exercise
As Grace approached the park, Abby entered. Grace and Abby wrestled and chased playfully for fifteen minutes. After Abby left, Grace played ball for about ten minutes and then went for our walk.
Grace went down to the Greenway where she saw a couple of Labs in the upper field near the end of the Greenway. As we approached, the lady with the dogs said that one of her dogs in particular was not good with other dogs. Of course, many such dogs are good with Grace, but I told Grace to “Leave it.” Grace reluctantly moved on.
We finally turned and began running laps in the reverse direction from usual. After the first lap, we returned home, so I could change to lighter clothing. We took the trash down and continued around the normal direction to finish the second lap.
Home with Betsy
At 8:55 when we returned, Grace went straight to the balcony to watch the dreary day unfold. Fifteen minutes later, she came in as I had put out her breakfast. When she finished, Grace jumped up on the living room chair. She remained there when I left for an appointment at 9:25.
When I returned home at 2:10, Grace was where I had left her! Betsy said that Grace did get down into her bed while I was gone before returning to the chair. Betsy made her a scrambled egg. At 2:30, Grace had one-half cup of her duck food topped off with the egg. When she finished eating, Grace went out for a walk with Betsy.
At 3:00, Betsy closed off the hallway outside our apartment and played fetch with Grace in that large running area. After ten minutes of vigorous activity, Grace was ready for a break. When Betsy let her in, Grace proceeded to the balcony.
When Ellie Mae showed up in the hallway at 3:25, Grace went back out. She played with Ellie Mae for twenty minutes before returning inside. Because activity was still going on out there, Grace returned again five minutes later. At 4:20 Grace again made the switch from hallway to balcony. After fifteen minutes, Grace came inside and got into the living room chair.
Munchies and More
At 5:25, Grace whined. I prepared her supper. Grace got down and ate her meal. At 5:35, Grace wanted to do more. She pulled an empty box from her toy box and carefully, methodically shredded it. As Betsy prepared supper and we ate, Grace waited patiently in the dining room.
At 6:00, Grace did tricks for chicken parts. She wanted more. She did tricks for treats. Grace enjoyed the attention, the stimulation, and the duck food. She wanted more. At 6:30, Grace played tug and fetch with a portion of a sock. Fifteen minutes later, Grace settled in to chewing on the sock. At 7:30, Grace had a dental chew.
Betsy made some popcorn as I was seated in the living room chair. As Betsy gave me a bowl, Grace came over and told me she had the munchies. She jumped up next to me and patiently ate the food that I presented to her in my right hand as I shared the to bowl of popcorn and ate my half with my left. Grace carefully stayed clear of the bowl despite the fact it was just inches from her.
At 8:30, Grace pushed me off and barked. After ten minutes, she went on the balcony. At 8:50, she returned inside. I took her out for her last walk. She returned five minutes later and got up on the sofa and went to sleep.